E-mail this article

To:

Invalid E-mail address

Add a personal message:(80
character limit)Your E-mail:

Invalid E-mail address

Sending your article

FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots defensive end Andre Carter wasn't afraid to call out his teammate Albert Haynesworth when they were teammates with the Washington Redskins last season. But that doesn't mean the two have a bad relationship, Carter said Tuesday.

"Our relationship has always been positive no matter what, whether it was here or there that was a thing of the past and this is now, and we’re Patriots now," he said.

Last year, Haynesworth didn't approve of the Redskins' switch to a 3-4 defense and demanded a trade. In the midst of the controversy, Carter called out Haynesworth, in a story on thehogs.net.

“I haven’t experienced a player prioritizing his position on the field over working with the game,” Carter said last year. “It’s disappointing because Albert could fit in this scheme. All we can say is we wish him the best and we will see what happens in a month. He made his statement that he didn’t want to play in this scheme, and we are not going to force him to play. He’s a grown man. We have moved forward.”

Tuesday, Carter said the incident is in the past and he spoke to Haynesworth his first day with the Patriots.

"This is a new season for us and we’re just excited to get things going," Carter said.

Here is more from Carter:

On Haynesworth as a player: "Just overall, he’s a heck of a player. Just the times I played with him and the little success as far as sacks that I received, we had a great four-man rush, whether it was him inside or him outside. So his level of versatility -- he’s a big guy, he can plug the middle, so with him and our other big guys in the middle, Lord willing we’ll get things right. Anything’s possible but you’ve got to put it on the practice field first."

On Haynesworth's motivation: "One thing about Albert, as a player in general we're all motivated to a certain extent and how far you’re willing to push yourself is up to you. ... The Albert I know and continue to know to this present day, he’s definitely a motivated person, as well as everyone else on this team."